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WE GOT THE CITY[1. CALL SESSION TO ORDER]
COUNCIL WORK SESSION FOR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2026.WE GOT COUNCILMAN REYNOLDS HERE.
[4.1. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Commission update and budget presentation. (Pulkit Namjoshi, Chair)]
FOUR ONE, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, LOGGING, COMMISSION UPDATE, AND BUDGET PRESENTATION.YOU GUYS ARE WORKING ON GETTING UPDATED.
MY NAME IS
AND THE QUICK PRESENTATION ON THE ANNUAL REPORT AND ALSO THE, UH, REQUEST FOR PROPOSED BUDGET
SO EVERY ONE OF YOU AT GIVEN PASSED THAT YOU BELONG IN
IT IS THE MOST VISIBLE THING THAT THIS COMMISSION HAS PRODUCED, RIGHT? IT'S HARD TO MISS, AND FOR MOST RESIDENTS, IT'S, IT'S THE ONLY, UH, SIGN THAT COMMISSION EVEN EXISTS.
NOW, WHAT DOESN'T SHOW IS WHAT WENT BEHIND IT, BUT, UH, THE NUMBERS, THE BUDGET, TURNOVER, ALL THAT.
STRAIGHTFORWARD ACCOUNT OF WHAT WAS SPENT LAST YEAR, WHAT IT DELIVERED, AND WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR THIS YEAR.
SO HERE'S HOW OUR GETS ORGANIZED.
OUR WORK TIED INTO CITY'S OWN ADOPTED PRINCIPLES AND PRIORITIES.
UH, WHAT THE RESIDENT SURVEY INDEPENDENTLY SHOWS FULL ACCOUNTING OF LAST YEAR'S APPROVED BUDGET, THIS YEAR'S ITEMIZED REQUEST AND A SUMMARY.
LET'S SERVE WITH WHERE THIS ALL SITS.
UM, OUR DEIV STRATEGIC PLAN WAS UPDATED THIS YEAR TO ALIGN DIRECTLY WITH THE CITY'S OWN STRATEGIC PLAN THAT WAS REVISED IN APRIL, 2026.
UH, OF THE PLAN'S FOUR PILLARS.
TWO ARE WHERE OUR WORK CONCENTRATES PILLAR TWO, WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT.
OUR BUDGET REQUEST HAVE DECLINED FROM LAST YEAR, WHICH WAS AT $17,050 TO THIS YEAR, WHICH IS NOW AT 10,001 $30.
UM, AND THIS YEAR ALSO SHIFTS FURTHER AWAY FROM CONSULTANT SPEND TOWARDS DIRECT PROGRAMMING.
PILLAR FOUR IS COMMUNITY TRUST.
THIS PILLAR MR. TO REGULAR COMMUNITY SURVEYS, INCORPORATING FEEDBACK AND EXPANDING RESIDENT ENGAGEMENT.
AND THAT IS MAINLY THIS COMMISSION'S JOB DESCRIPTION.
BUT THE FIVE FOCUS AREAS ON THE RIGHT ARE OWN PLANS, STRUCTURE, AND EVERYTHING IN THE REST OF THIS REPORT MAPS BACK TO ONE OF THEM.
PILLAR FOUR SPECIFICALLY COMMENTS US TO SURVEYS AND RESIDENT FEEDBACK.
SO BEFORE THE NUMBERS, UH, I'D LIKE TO SHOW YOU WHAT THE LATEST RESIDENT NUMBERS SAY.
THIS IS THE CITY'S OWN 2026, UH, RESIDENT SURVEY, WHICH IS RUN INDEPENDENTLY BY THE A TC INSTITUTE.
UH, AND SAMPLE SIZE FOR THIS WAS 402 RESIDENTS SINCE 2024.
FIVE OF THE SIX TRACK DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION MEASURES MOVED UP.
LARGEST SINGLE MOVEMENT IN THE ENTIRE SURVEY WAS ON OUR WEAKEST MEASURE, WHICH IS AGREEMENT THAT CITY STAFF AND LEADERS ARE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL RESIDENTS.
AND THAT ROSE BY FIVE AND A HALF POINTS.
AND THAT MOVE IS BIGGER THAN SURVEYS OWNED MARGIN OF ERROR.
SO WE CAN SAY THAT IT'S REAL, AND RESIDENTS NOW ALSO SAY THAT THE HUDDLE AT A CITY OF HU IS MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION ON DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION BY MORE THAN TWO TO ONE.
WE HAVE 47.8% THAT SAY YES, WE ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION VERSUS 18.8.
NOW, OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE NOT CLAIMING SOLE CREDIT AS THE COMMISSION.
IT IS ULTIMATELY A COLLECTIVE EFFORT KNOW COMMISSION.
THE CITY STAFF, THE CITY LEADERS, AND CITY COUNCIL AS WELL.
UM, SO, UH, LAST YEAR'S APPROVED AS IT WAS $17,050.
AND THIS IS A QUICK SNAPSHOT OF WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE IN OUR LAST MEETING IN AUGUST.
WE ARE VERY, VERY DILIGENT IN HOW WE TRACK.
EVERYTHING IS ITEMIZED, EVERYTHING IS UPDATED FOR EVERY MEETING.
AND WE HAVE A STANDING LINE ITEM FOR EVERY MEETING WHERE WE TALK ABOUT OUR BUDGET, HOW IT WAS SPENT, WHERE IT WAS SPENT, AND WHAT'S REMAINING.
AND ON THE DELIVERY SIDE OF THINGS, WE RAN A FULL DIV TRAINING SERIES.
WE DID EVIDENCE-BASED GROUNDWORK FOR POSSIBLE NEURODIVERGENT, UH, NEURODIVERGENCE INITIATED.
AND PART OF THAT IS WE DO PLAN ON HAVING A NEURODIVERGENCE PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN THIS YEAR OR IN THE COMING YEAR.
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UP WITH ALL THE GROUNDWORK REQUIRED FOR THAT, GETTING THE CONSULTANT TO PRODUCE CERTAIN DOCUMENTS, UH, GETTING CONSULTANT TO PRODUCE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS AND STR UH, AND STRATEGY PLANS FOR THE SET INITIATIVE.ALSO, WE STARTED THREE CITIZENS WORKING GROUP AND, YOU KNOW, BUILT ONBOARDING TRAINING FOR NEW CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, NEW DEIB COMMISSIONERS AND OTHER CI AND, AND CITY WORKING GROUPS.
UM, UH, AND I ALSO WANNA, UH, QUICKLY THANK COUNCIL MEMBER JIM, BECAUSE HE ATTENDS A LOT OF OUR DIV MEETINGS.
AND IT'S REALLY GREAT TO SEE HIM COME IN AND, UH, TAKE AN INTEREST AND HELP US UNDERSTAND A LOT OF THINGS.
EVEN THE NITTY GRITTY ON HOW, YOU KNOW, HOW TO READ THE SURVEY.
WHAT WOULD BE THE COUNCIL PER, UH, POINT OF, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S POB POINT OF VIEW, POINT OF VIEW, THE COUNCIL'S, POB, AND YOU KNOW WHAT? IT JUST HELPS US AS COMMISSION KIND OF FILL IN A LOT OF THE GAPS THAT, UH, WE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO.
UH, SO THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER, JIM.
SO, UH, WE APPRECIATE YOU AND WE HOPE TO SEE YOU MORE IN OUR MEETINGS.
UH, JUST TO COMMENT, I'D LIKE TO SEE ALL OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS ROTATE OUT AT THESE.
YOU KNOW, WE WELCOME ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS.
AND, UH, IT'S ALWAYS ENJOYABLE AND IT'S GREAT TO SEE THE PRODUCTIVITY THAT GOES ON.
WE SEE THE RESULTS, YOU KNOW, ON PAPER, BUT IT'S NICE TO SEE EVERYBODY ABSOLUTELY.
AND THAT THAT'S JUST GONNA MAKE US A BETTER BOARD, THE MORE INTERACTION WE GET FROM THE COUNCIL.
AND THEN NOW, THIS YEAR'S, UH, REQUEST, UH, THIS YEAR'S REQUEST IS $10,000, UH, UH, $10,130, WHICH IS DOWN MORE THAN 40% FROM LAST YEAR'S, $17,050, WHICH IS ALMOST $7,000 REDUCTION.
WE'LL BE OPTIMIZ CONSULTING AND SURVEY ANALYSIS ON ONE SIDE AND DIRECT PROGRAMMING ON THE OTHER.
UH, WE ARE STILL, WE'RE GOING TO RETAIN THE CONSULTANT.
AND FRANKLY, IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS, THE CONSULTANT HAS BEEN THE ONE CONTINUING FACTOR.
UH, EVERY SINGLE SEAT ON THIS BOARD HAS CHANGED HANDS IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS.
WE HAVE BEEN ROCKED A LITTLE BIT IN TERMS OF PERSONNEL.
EVEN NOW WE'RE ONLY FIVE, UH, COMMISSIONERS OUT OF POSSIBLE SEVEN.
AND SO IT'S REALLY GOOD TO HAVE SOMEONE ON BOARD WHO HAS THE CONTEXT, WHO HAS THE HISTORY, AND WHO CAN, YOU KNOW, WHO HAS WORKED ON THE CITY AND IS PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS WORK TO GUIDE US AND HELP US LAY OUT OUR INITIATIVES AND PLANS IN A METHODICAL WAY.
UM, AND SO 1.1, 1.2, DEAL WITH CONSULTANT 2.1, 2.2, THAT'S THE YOU BELONG IN HUDDLE CAMPAIGN, AND THAT'S INITIATIVE THAT WE HAVE.
AND WHAT IN A NUTSHELL THAT IS, IS THE DIV COMMISSION WANTS TO BE MORE PRESENT IN ALL THE CITY EVENTS.
AND THAT WAY THAT BECOMES A POINT OF CONTACT OR THE CITY, UH, FOR THE CITIZENS TO COME AND TALK TO US.
IT, IT, IT PROVIDES A WAY FOR THE CITY, UH, FOR THE CITIZENS AND THE RESIDENTS OF PATO TO COME AND VOICE THEIR OPINIONS, VOICE THEIR CONCERNS, AND HELP US GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE SAME TIME.
IF WE HAVE INFORMATION TO GIVE THEM ABOUT NEW INITIATIVES, NEW EVENTS, NEW STRATEGIES, NEW PLANS.
THAT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO THROUGH THAT MEDIA.
AND THEN THE FINALLY 3.1, TWO, AND THREE THERE ABOUT THE WORKING GROUPS, THE CITIZEN WORKING GROUPS THAT WE HAD STARTED LAST YEAR.
AND THE IDEA IS THAT WE WANT TO FACILITATE, UH, THEIR, THEIR SUSTAINED GROWTH, THEY'RE EXISTENCE.
AND, UH, AS, AS THIS IS OUR COMMISSION'S, YOU KNOW, UH, INITIATIVE, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN SUPPORT IT BEST TO OUR, UH, ABILITIES.
AND AGAIN, I'D LIKE TO BE DIRECT ABOUT HOW WE HANDLE THIS MONEY GOING FORWARD.
EVERY DOLLAR IS TRACKED AND REVIEWED, OUTSTANDING AGENDA ITEM AT EVERY SINGLE COMMISSION MEETING.
UM, AND THIS, THIS IS NOT ONCE, THIS IS EVERY SINGLE MONTH WITHOUT FAITH.
AND, UH, SO PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER, UM, THIS YEAR'S REQUEST IS, AGAIN, $10,000, 10,001 $30, WHICH IS DOWN MORE THAN 40% FROM LAST YEAR.
OUR SPENDING MIX HAS SHIFTED 66% NOW, FUNDS, DIRECT PROGRAMS, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS UP FROM 16% LAST YEAR.
THE CONSULTING NOW HAVING THE SMALLER SHARE, UH, COMMISSION TURNED OVER COMPLETELY IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS.
EVERY SEAT CHANGED HANDS, AND THAT COST US SOME CONTINUITY,
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UH, AND SOME TIMELINES, BUT WE'RE BACK ON TRACK AND WE'RE ACTIVELY CHASING, RELAUNCHING THINGS THAT WE'RE LAGGING.AND AGAIN, FINALLY, AS I SAID, EVERY DOLLAR IS TRACKED, REVIEWED AT EVERY SINGLE COMMISSION MEETING.
THIS IS MY FIRST TIME PRESENTING TO THE COUNCIL.
SO I'M NOT SURE WHAT WAS THE LEVEL OF DETAIL THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS, BUT IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION, I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO PROVIDE THAT, UH, UH, FOR, FOR THE COMMISSION.
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, THANK YOU.
I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
I, I RECOGNIZE THAT GUY
UH, COUNSEL, I, I THINK IT'S A GREAT REPORT.
I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER THE LAST TIME.
NOT, IT WASN'T GOOD OR ANYTHING.
UM, I, UM, I SEE ON THIS IS, UH, SLIDE FIVE OF SEVEN.
YOU HAVE A, A REMAINING BALANCE OF ALMOST $3,000.
IS IS THAT
SO, UH, THAT'S THE CURRENT STANDING OF THE BUDGET, UH, AT THE LAST MEETING.
UH, SO THE REMAINING, UH, 29 39, YEAH, 29.
A CHUNK OF THAT IS GOING TO GO TO THE CONSULTANT BECAUSE THE CONSULTANT'S GOING TO HAVE A, UM, I BELIEVE THAT HE'S GOING TO HAVE A, UH, TRAINING IN SEPTEMBER.
HE'S GONNA HAVE, AND THEN THAT'S WHEN, UH, I BELIEVE HE WILL PUT IN AN INVOICE.
AND, UH, ONCE HE DOES THAT, AND ONCE IT SHOWS UP ON OUR, UH, ACCOUNTING, THAT'S WHEN IT GETS ON.
AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION IS ON THE, ON THE THREE GROUPS.
THIS SENIORS, THIS IS ON SLIDE SIX ASIDE.
SO, UM, I, I'D LIKE, NOT NECESSARILY TO ANSWER RIGHT NOW, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE A LITTLE MORE DETAIL, AND THEN MAYBE IT'S ON THE WEBSITE AS SOMETHING YOU CAN GIVE FOR PUBLIC AS IT'S WHAT, WHAT IS THE VISION FOR THE, THE DIFFERENT WORK GROUPS? WHAT ARE Y'ALL TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH AND WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO MEET? AND IT MAY ALREADY BE EXISTING, I'M NOT SAYING, BUT THAT FROM A, FROM FROM A, FROM A HIGH LEVEL REVIEW, BUT ALSO FROM DAY TO DAY, YOU KNOW, CITIZENS JUST LOOKING AT IT, WHAT IS THE SENIOR CITIZEN GROUP TRYING TO DO? WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE THEIR PLANS? WHAT HAVE THEY DONE? AND WHAT'S REMAINING THAT, THAT TYPE OF THING.
UH, WE HAVE THAT ANSWER HERE TODAY.
SO WE HAVE THAT ANSWER HERE TODAY IF YOU'D LIKE.
SO THE SENIOR CITIZENS WORKER IS PRETTY STRONG.
THEY'VE BEEN OUR, I WON'T SAY FLAGSHIP, BUT THE, THE TEMPO HAS BEEN SET BY THE SENIOR CITIZENS WORKER, PLAINTIFF.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, I SAY THEY ARE HOSTING A RESOURCE FAIR WITH NOW 34 VENDORS THAT OKAY.
UM, THROUGH OUR THURSDAY MEETINGS, THEY'VE MANAGED TO, I MEAN, WE'RE KNOCKING ON DOORS.
WE DROP OUT FIRES AT CHURCHES AT THE YMCA ANYWHERE.
SENIORS MAY VISIT REGULARLY TO GET THEM IN THE DOORS.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, THEY'VE BEEN HOSTING GAMES AT THE DISCOVERY CENTER AT THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, UH, EVERY THURSDAY.
SO IT'S ROTATING GAMES FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR A MONTH.
AND SO THAT INFORMATION THAT HAVE BEEN PASSED ON TO THEM ABOUT THE RESOURCE FAIR, THESE EVENTS, I THINK OUR MAIN GOAL THING THAT WE'RE MOST COMPASSIONATE ABOUT IS MAKING SURE THAT SENIORS AREN'T BEING LEFT BEHIND.
BECAUSE THERE ARE A BUNCH OF SENIORS WHO ARE LIKE WIDOWED.
UH, WE HAVE, WE HAVE SOME SENIORS WHO LOST THEIR SPOUSES LAST YEAR.
AND SO THEY'RE WITHOUT RESOURCES AND WITHOUT THAT REGULAR HELP THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE.
SO WE'RE, WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO FACILITATE THE NEED, UM, BRIDGING THAT GAP IN REAL TIME.
UH, WE'RE ALSO PLANNING TO, UH, PROVIDE TWO MEALS A MONTH AND THEN TWO, UH, COFFEE AND CHATS A MONTH.
AND WE'RE DOING THIS ON, ON OUR, ON INDIVIDUALS ARE PITCHING IN.
SO, UM, WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR THINGS.
IT'D BE GREAT IF WE CAN GET IT, BUT BY THE WAY, IT'S HAPPENING BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT VISION OF SUSTAINABILITY, THE IDEA THAT, LIKE, WE KNOW WHERE OUR SENIORS ARE, SO IF THEY NEED HELP, THEN WE CAN HAVE A WAY TO CONTACT THEM, EVEN IF IT'S A TELEPHONE TREE.
BUT WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET PEOPLE IN THE DOOR SO THAT WE CAN, UM, BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT NEEDS EXIST AND THEN DO OUR BEST TO REACH OUT TO SOME OTHER RESOURCES WHO WE'VE CONTACTED AND IS THE PLAN WITH THIS RESOURCE FAIR TO, UM, TO PROVIDE THAT, THAT NEED.
SO, UM, WITH THE SENIOR EVENTS ING ABOUT 29 IN BINGO, UM, WHICH IS THE BIGGEST GAME BECAUSE IT'S PROBABLY LIKE THE SIMPLEST AND MOST FUN, AND IT'S A GOOD TIME THERE, REWARDS
BUT, UM, YEAR TO DATE, WE HAD 55 MEMBERS OF THE SENIOR ASSISTANT, UM, COMMUNITY ATTEND THESE EVENTS.
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KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE HOLDING THREE TO FOUR MEETINGS A MONTH AND YEAH, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO TAKE CARE OF YOU.SO, BUT THEY'RE THE FLAGSHIP BECAUSE, UM, LET DUMAS CHUCK TROOP AND YVETTE PRITCHET WHO WORKS AT THE DISCOVERY CENTER AND OUR GUIDANCE COUNSELOR HERE, MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ON TRACK AND, AND KIND OF LEADING US, UM, EVERY SINGLE WEEK WE'RE SITTING DOWN AND WE'RE HAVING A TALK ABOUT HOW TO DO SO.
AND YEAH, I JUST THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT THAT PROCESS CAN BE DUPLICATED THE WAY THEY DO THINGS KIND OF GRASSROOTS, LIKE CAN BE DUPLICATED FOR VETERANS.
SOME OF THE SENIORS ARE VETERANS AND, UM, AND IT CAN BE DUPLICATED FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.
IT'S A PRETTY DECENT TEMPLATE AND LIKE SUPER, THERE'S A LOT OF SUCCESS.
THEY'VE HAD IT JUST FOR FIVE MONTHS.
THE RESOURCE FAIR ON SEPTEMBER 17TH FROM 9:00 AM UNTIL NOON, 34 VENDORS, WE CONTACTED MORE, BUT 34 SAID THAT THEY WILL BE HERE AT THE DISCOVERY CENTER SETTING UP A BOOTH WITH RESOURCES FOR, FOR SENIORS.
AND THEN FIVE MONTHS THEY MANAGED TO ESTABLISH COMPETENCE, COMPETENCE AND, AND RUN THE SHOW.
AND I THINK THE OVERALL VISION FOR ALL THESE WORK GROUPS IS SELF SUSTAINABILITY.
IT'S LIKE WE GET IN THERE, WE SHOW THEM THE TEMPLATE, WE PROVIDE RESOURCES TO HELP THEM GET OFF THEIR FEED AND IT'S LIKE NOT WRONG WITH IT.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT JUST TAKES REPS.
SO WE, WE DO THE REPS AND THEN NEXT MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONE.
SO HOW DOES THAT WORKING GROUP DIFFER FROM WHAT SWAP DOES? UH, SWAP? 'CAUSE THAT'S MY, THAT'S MY HOUSE SWAP
THEY'RE THE ONES THAT VOLUNTEER, UM, OUT IN THE, IN THE LOBBY.
SO THEY DO THAT, THEY HELP OUT EACH OTHER THAT NEEDS TO GET TO DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS.
THEY HELP PEOPLE GET TO THE YA LOT OF THINGS YOU'RE MENTIONING ARE THINGS THAT SWAT SEEMS TO DO ALSO.
AND SO WHAT I WANNA MAKE SURE IS STARTING WITH THAT THEN EVEN VETERANS WORKING GROUP, THEN IT'S GONNA BE, YOU GUYS ARE DOING, BUT IF WE ALREADY HAVE AN ORGANIZATION THAT'S KIND OF DOING IT, IS IT BETTER FOR HUDA TO START OUR OWN THING AND, AND DO SOMETHING AND BLAZE THAT PATH FORWARD AND OR IS IT BETTER TO HELP THE GROUP AND HELP THEM GET GOING WITH EVERYTHING TO WHERE THEY'VE ALREADY LIKE, MOVE ON TO THE VETERANS WORKING GROUP.
IT'D BE INTERESTED TO KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS ARE WANTING TO DO THERE.
BECAUSE WE ALSO HAVE THE AMERICAN LEGION.
AND SO THE AMERICAN LEGION'S PROVIDING, I MEAN, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A, I FORGET THE ORGANIZATION.
IT'S A STATE AGENCY THAT'S HOUSED WITH THEM TO HELP OUT WITH VETERANS AND BENEFITS AND THEY'RE OUT DOING THINGS.
AND SO, AGAIN, I, I LIKE THE WORK WITH THEM WE'RE DOING, BUT WE HAVE, IF WE'RE COMPETING AGAINST ANOTHER NONPROFIT, THEN WHAT WE'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO DO, NOT THAT YOU GUYS ARE COST US MONEY NECESSARILY, BUT A LOT OF US HAVE, HAVE THIS GOAL OF EMPOWERING THE 5 0 1 CS TO PROVIDE A LOT OF BENEFITS TO OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE ONE OF THEIR CHARGES, IF YOU WILL, ABOUT IRS IS TO, UM, LESSEN THE BURDEN OF GOVERNMENT.
AND SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN PUSHING OUR STAFF TO DO IS TO PROVIDE LESS CITY RESOURCES AT TIMES AND TO PROVIDE MORE EMPOWERMENT AND AT SOME POINTS, MORE RESOURCES TO OUR NONPROFITS SO THAT ONCE THEY GET GOING, JUST LIKE WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, ONCE THEY GET GOING, BECOME SELF-SUSTAINING, THEN THE CITY'S OUT OF THAT BUSINESS OF WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER IT IS.
AND SO, UM, AND SAME WITH SMALL BUSINESS WORKING GROUP.
I MEAN, WE HAD THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THEY PROVIDE A LOT OF SERVICES.
YOU DON'T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE CHAMBER TO GO TO THEIR NETWORKING EVENTS AND THEIR SMALL BUSINESS AND THEIR LUNCH AND LEARNS AND ALL THAT.
BUT IF, IF WE START OFF SMALL AND EVERYTHING IN GOVERNMENT GROWS KIND OF LIKE A WEED AND BEFORE LONG YOU'RE LIKE, HOW DID, HOW DID THIS GET SO BIG? BUT IF WE START SOME OF THESE GROUPS AND NEXT THING YOU KNOW, NEXT YEAR WE NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE MONEY, NOT SAYING YOU GUYS ARE, BUT FIVE OR 10 YEARS, WE'VE GOT A MAJOR BUDGET FOR A SMALL BUSINESS WORKING GROUP.
PART OF ME IS WONDERING, ARE WE NOT SOMEHOW COMPETING WITH THE CHAMBER AND SHOULD WE BE TAKING GAPS THAT WE SEE AND GOING TO THE CHAMBER AND SAYING, HEY, THESE, THESE ARE AREAS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE BEING TOLD ARE OR GAPS THAT THE SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS MISSING OUT ON.
WE'D LIKE TO WORK WITH YOU GUYS TO GET IT DONE.
AND THEN HOW DO WE FIND A WAY TO EMPOWER THE CHAMBER TO BE THE ONE, BECAUSE EVENTUALLY, IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN HUNDRED GROUND ONLY BEEN HERE NINE YEARS, GROUPS GET REAL WOUND UP REAL QUICK WHEN SOMEONE FEELS LIKE, HEY, YOU'RE ON MY TURF.
'CAUSE EVERY TIME THE CITY HIRES A PERSON THAT'S A, I FORGOT WHAT IT WAS CALLED, JAMES, A SMALL BUSINESS RETENTION.
NEXT THING YOU KNOW, BOY, WE'RE DOWN HERE BEING, WE GOT THE
WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU GUYS TRYING TO DO HERE? BECAUSE WE SURE DO SMALL BUSINESS RETENTION.
AND ALL WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS EMPOWER EACH OTHER.
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'CAUSE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN DOING, I THINK IS GREAT WORK.BUT IN THE BACK OF MY MIND I'M LIKE, ARE WE STARTING TO GO DOWN THE PATH OF COMPETING WITH OTHER GROUPS? AND, AND, AND SO YOU GUYS DON'T KNOW WHO SWAT IS, BUT YOU KNOW, SWAT ACTUALLY SAVES THE CITY MONEY BECAUSE WE USED TO HAVE A PAID, UH, UH, PAID SALARY PERSON AT THE FRONT DESK READING PEOPLE.
AND ALL THE SENIORS SAID, IT'S LIKE, THEY MET, WE MET AT THE LOT AND THEY'RE LIKE, LOOK, WE GOT A LOT TO GIVE NOW.
WE CAN'T GIVE 40 HOURS A WEEK AND 10 HOURS A DAY ANYMORE, BUT WE'VE GOT FOUR OR FIVE HOURS WE CAN GIVE.
WE KNOW ACCOUNTING, WE KNOW THIS.
AND THEY WERE LIKE, WE'D LOVE TO, YOU KNOW, ANSWER THE PHONE HELP OUT STUFF.
HOW MANY EASTER EGGS? IT WAS LIKE 40,000 EASTER EGGS OR SOMETHING LAST YEAR.
IT TOOK A, YOU KNOW, SOME TIME TO DO IT, BUT THEY'RE LIKE, WE WANNA BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY AND HELP EACH OTHER.
WE'RE LIKE, SO I THINK, UH, LAST YEAR, THE YEAR BEFORE JAMES DID WE, WE TAKE THEM OUT TO LUNCH OR HAVE SOME KIND OF EVENT FOR THEM RIGHT NEXT FIRST LUNCH? YEAH.
WE, WE, WE, WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A LUNCH MONTHLY FOR THEM.
UM, THEY'RE INVITED TO THE, TO THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY BANQUET.
I, I WILL SAY THAT LIKE SWAT AS A WHOLE, IT'S, IT IS NOT ORGANIZED THAT THOSE ARE JUST NOW JUST VOLUNTEERS.
I THINK JEAN, JEAN WAS SWAT, IF YOU WILL, AND, AND SHE WITHDREW.
BUT THESE ARE JUST NOW SENIOR, SENIOR CITIZENS AND THEY'RE NOT ALL SENIOR CITIZENS.
WE HAVE A COUPLE THAT ARE NOT THAT VOLUNTEER.
AND HOW DO YOU DEFINE SENIOR? UH, ME.
I HAVE A VERY HARD DEFINITION.
DO YOU, WHAT'S THAT? 55 OVER? I'M NOT DOING THAT.
SO TO, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION AND, AND I'LL BE BRIEF, LIVE IN SUN CITY, YOU CAN BE A SENIOR CITY.
WE WE'RE HERE FOR THE CITY OF HUDDLE.
AND THROUGH DOING THE WORK THAT CITY COUNCIL HAS DIRECTED US TO FOR, BY GUIDANCE ON, WE CONDUCTED THOSE SURVEYS AND SAW WHAT THE, WHAT THE NEED WAS.
SO ALL WE'RE DOING IS FEELING THE NEED THAT THEY VOICED THE FACT THAT WE HAVEN'T REALLY HEARD ABOUT SWAT.
SOUNDS LIKE THEY'RE, THEY'RE KIND OF IN THE DARK OR MAYBE YOU KNOW, TOO FEW.
AND SO YOU GUYS ARE IN THE, NOT TO INTERRUPT YOU, BUT ARE, YOU GUYS ARE IN THE DARK.
ALSO QUITE POSSIBLY YOU GUYS JUST STARTED A SENIOR GROUP AND YOU'RE NOT TALKING TO THE SENIOR GROUP THAT'S SOMEWHAT ORGANIZED.
THIS IS WHY IT'S GREAT THAT WE HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING.
BUT YOU ALSO WANNA ADD THAT MR AND MS. JANELLE WHO ARE MORE, UM, WHO ARE PART OF THE, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT, BUT THEY HAD A NAME LIKE SWAP AT THE FRONT.
LIKE THERE WERE TWO OF THE FIRST MEMBERS OF THE SENIOR CITIZEN WORKING GROUP BECAUSE WHEN I WAS STILL SERVING, THAT'S ONE OF THE FIRST KICKOFFS THAT WE HAD.
AND I, I THINK FROM MY TIME SPENDING A QUITE BIT TIME WITH THE GROUP, THAT'S NOT MEANT TO BE COMPETITIVE.
IT'S MEANT TO FILL IN GAPS THAT ARE NOT BEING MET.
AND I'M GIVING YOU, FOR EXAMPLE, A SMALL BUSINESS WORKING GROUP BECAUSE I'VE BEEN A LONGTIME MEMBER OF THE CHAMBER.
AND THAT GROUP, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVEN'T BEEN GREAT ABOUT REPORTING BACK, BUT THAT GROUP, THAT SMALL BUSINESS WORKING IS KIND OF GELLING TOGETHER.
WHAT THEY'VE ACTIVELY BEEN DOING IS USING EACH OTHER'S BUSINESSES AND MAKING COMMERCIALS AND FROM MARKETING EACH OTHER'S BUSINESSES FOR FREE.
THAT MAKE SENSE? SO WITH THE CHAMBER, THE CHAMBER HAS INCURRED EXPENSES THAT SOMETIMES MAKES IT PROHIBITED FOR SOMEBODY WHO'S JUST STARTING OUT A SMALL SHOP OR A SMALL MOM AND POP SHOP.
THAT FIRST $300 LEVEL TO BE A MEMBER OF THE CHAMBER CAN BE COST PROHIBITED FOR SOME MEMBERS, SOME NEW ENTREPRENEURS AND THE SMALL BUSINESS WORKING GROUP, THERE'S NO EXPENSE TIED TO IT.
IT'S JUST PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER TO HELP EACH OTHER MAKE THINGS HAPPEN IN THE CITY.
AND THE CHAMBER IS ONE OF THOSE RESOURCES THAT WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE LIKE, HAVE YOU JOIN THE CHAMBER, COME TO A NETWORKING EVENT.
IT'S ALMOST LIKE AN AMBASSADORSHIP FOR FREE FOR THE CHAMBER, UM, IS HOW IT'S ACTUALLY ORGANICALLY GROWING TO BE.
SO IT'S ACTUALLY AN ASSET TO THE CITY.
WE HAVEN'T HAD A LOT OF REPORT BACK BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY EXPENSES, BUT WE HAVE BEEN LIKE DOING CROSS PROMOTION WITH EACH OTHER'S EVENTS, VISITING EACH OTHER, USING EACH OTHER'S SERVICES.
OH, THE SMALL BUSINESS, SMALL BUSINESS WORKING GROUP, YEAH.
UM, 'CAUSE I HAVE A SMALL CHARCUTERIE BUSINESS, SO THEY USE MY SERVICES.
I CATERED SOME OF THEIR, UM, RIBBON CUTTING EVENTS THAT THE CHAMBER DID.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF CROSS POLLINATION THERE THAT ACTUALLY MEET SOME GAPS THAT OTHERWISE MIGHT NOT REACH SOME OF THE SMALLER BUSINESS OWNERS THAT MAY, FOR WHATEVER REASON, THE CAN'T AFFORD OR JUST HAVEN'T JOINED THE CHAMBER YET OR THEY HAVEN'T QUITE SEEN THE VALUE OF IT.
BUT THEN THEY MIGHT COME TO AN ATTEMPT WITH SOME OF US, LIKE FOR ME, I'M A CHAMBER MEMBER SO I MIGHT BRING SOMEBODY TO AN EVENT THEY MIGHT NOT EVEN KNOW ABOUT 'CAUSE THEY'RE ON THEIR RADAR.
DOES THE CHAMBER KNOW ABOUT THESE GAPS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE IDENTIFIED? AND WHAT HAS THE CHAMBER SAID THAT THAT'S JUST NOT THEIR PRIORITY OR? NO, I THINK WHEN THE CHAMBER IS THAT THEY WANNA BE ABLE TO MEET, BUT THERE'S SOME EXPENSES.
THEY HAVE EXPENSES THAT THEY HAVE TO MEET THROUGH THEIR MEMBERSHIP DUES.
AND THAT'S WHAT SOME OF LIKE THE LUNCHES WITH LIKE $20 LUNCH, YOU KNOW, FEE TO ATTEND.
SO IT'S NOT THAT THEY DON'T WANNA MEET.
SO IT'S NOT THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO MEET THOSE GAPS, BUT THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT THERE IS AN ENTRY LEVEL TO JOIN A CHAMBER.
THAT'S WHY THEY HAVE SOME THE EVENTS WHERE IT'S FREE.
AND SO IT'S NEVER THAT THE CHAMBER DOESN'T WANNA
[00:25:01]
MEET THOSE GAPS.IT'S JUST THAT BRINGING PEOPLE ALONG SOMETIMES TAKES A DIFFERENT APPROACH SO THAT THEY'RE ALSO INCLUDED IN THE BENEFITS OF BEING A PART OF AN ENTREPRENEUR OR NEW BUSINESS IN THE CITY OF HU.
IT'S NOT JUST ONE WAY TO MEET THOSE NEEDS FROM THE DIB, THE SMALL BUSINESS WORKING GROUP.
YOU'RE SAYING THAT IF WHAT CHAMBER PROVIDES CAN HAVE A COST TO IT, BUT WHEN THE DIB WORKING SENIOR LAWS IS A WORKING GROUP, IT'S NOT A COST.
SO WHEN IT'S CATERED TO THIS CATERING, DOES THAT CHARGE TO THEM? BUT IT'S ALL FREE.
THE SMALL OFFICE IS WORKING WITH, I MEAN IT'S JUST A, YOU SAID THERE'S PEOPLE CATERING.
OH, IF THEY, FOR I ASSUME MY EXAMPLE 'CAUSE I HAVE A SMALL CATERING BUSINESS.
SO THEY, THEY USED ME LIKE FOR, UM, MOST RECENTLY IS IT FREE CATERING? NO, NO, NO.
THEY ACTUALLY PURCHASED TO ME A SMALL OKAY.
SO COMPANY, THE SAME CHARGES OCCURRED SMALL BUSINESS, WHETHER IT'S THROUGH DEIB OR THROUGH CHAMBER, THEY'RE STILL CHARGES.
THE CHAMBER DOESN'T CHARGE FOR THE RIBBON CUTTING.
WHAT I'M SAYING IS THE COMPANY WHO WAS HAVING THE RIBBON CUTTING, WHICH WAS SENT OUT ASS APPLIANCES, UHHUH, THEY FEEL NEED TO CATER THEIR RTU THAT THEY DID WITH THE CHAMBER.
SO IT'S A LOT OF CROSS POLLINATION.
SO THE COLLABORATION
AND, UH, ONE THING THAT I'D LIKE TO ADD THAT YOU BROUGHT UP, UH, MAYOR SNYDER, THAT, UH, I MEAN FIVE YEARS, 10 YEARS DOWN THE LINE MAY BLOW UP AND, UH, WE CAN'T REALLY SPEAK TO WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN FIVE YEARS, 10 YEARS DOWN THE LINE.
UM, BUT THAT'S WHY THE, THESE REPORT MEETINGS ARE GREAT BECAUSE THAT'S THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO POINT AND SAY, HEY, THIS IS TOO MUCH OR HEY, UH, IT'S GETTING CLOSED, SO WATCH IT.
OR LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO, YOU KNOW, GET IT UNDER A SPECIFIC TARGET OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT, UH, WELL I GUESS I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, PICK ON A SMALL BUSINESS WORKING GROUP, UM, JUST IN THE UMBRELLA OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, BELONGING, HOW DOES ANY OF THAT, HOW ANY OF THAT A PART OF THAT? BECAUSE WHAT I SEE SOME OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES IN HU ARE NOT FROM A-D-E-I-B STANDPOINT UMBRELLA.
IT'S NOT THE BUSINESS PERSON WHO PICK ON C YOU BROUGHT UP TRYING TO GROW A CHARCUTERIE BUSINESS.
THAT'S NOT THE BIGGEST THING FOR DEIB.
IN MY MIND IT'S THE PERSON I, I FIRST MET GERALD AT A GUY FROM AFGHANISTAN, HIS HOUSE.
AND THIS GUY IS FREAKING OUT BECAUSE HE'S IN TROUBLE 'CAUSE HIS TREE'S DEAD IN THE FRONT YARD AND THE HO A'S ALL OVER HIM.
AND HE IS GETTING HIT WITH LIKE A $25 A MONTH LATE FEE AND HE CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON.
NOW HE'S BEEN IN THIS COUNTRY FOR TWO YEARS, I THINK IT WAS RIGHT.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE BIGGEST ISSUE HE HAD? HE DOESN'T KNOW THE HOA HAS DONE A GOVERNMENT ENTITY.
HE, HE DOESN'T KNOW THESE THINGS.
HE DOESN'T COME FROM AREA OF THE WORLD WHERE THEY'RE PLANNING LIVE OAKS.
AND THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WORLD IS THAT YOU HAVE A TREE THAT'S THERE.
AND SO HE'S JUST TRYING TO DO RIGHT, BUT HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING.
AND THEN YOU GOT THE UKRAINIAN FAMILY AND YOU GOT THE RUSSIAN FAMILY.
THAT 54 LANGUAGE IS SPOKEN IN HUDU.
AND WHEN YOU GUYS ARE SAYING WE ALL BELONG TO ME, IF YOU SPEND ANY EFFORT ON SMALL BUSINESS, THERE IS AN ORGANIZATION FOR THAT.
AND IT OUGHT TO BE, WE DID A SURVEY HERE, YOU GUYS GO AND I MEAN THAT SOMEONE'S GOTTA PICK IT UP.
IF YOU GUYS ARE PICKING IT UP, THEN YOU REALLY NOT A YOU, I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHERE THAT COMES IN.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, BELONGING.
IT'S MORE OF ALMOST LIKE AN EDC UH, SUBGROUP FUNCTION WHERE IT'S LIKE, HEY, THERE'S GAPS IN OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY BECAUSE NOW DEIB, AT LEAST HOW I ENVISIONED THE BEGINNING WAS HOW DO WE ALL, HOW DO WE ALL JUST BECOME A HIPPO INSTEAD OF THERE'S THIS GROUP, THERE'S THIS GROUP, THERE'S THIS GROUP OVER HERE AND THIS GROUP DOESN'T LIKE THIS GROUP AND NOBODY CAN INTERACT.
HOW DO WE ALL JUST SIT DOWN HERE AND GO, WE ALL WANT CLEAR WATER, RIGHT? I MEAN, WE CAN AGREE TO THAT.
AND I HAVEN'T MET ANYBODY FROM A COUNTRY THAT PEOPLE FROM, UH, NEPAL THAT WE'VE, I THINK WE'VE ALL MET THEM A COUPLE TIMES.
THEY GOT THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT WE ALL HAVE HERE.
AND, BUT NONE OF THEM ARE SAYING, HEY MAN, I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO, YOU KNOW, AND, AND SAME WITH THE VETERANS.
I MEAN, I'M A HUGE SUPPORTIVE VETERAN COMMUNITY, BUT WE GOTTA FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THE AMERICAN LEGION, TO ME, MY OPINION, MAKE THEM BE THAT GROUP.
BECAUSE AGAIN, IF YOU GUYS SENIORS, I THINK AS PART OF DEIB, BUT I DON'T THINK VETERANS IS BECAUSE THEN IT'S LIKE, ARE THEY BEING EXCLUDED SOMEWHERE? ARE THEY HAVING A HARD TIME, YOU KNOW, INTEGRATING AND BEING PART OF THE COMMUNITY.
AND TO ME, THAT'S WHAT I ALWAYS THOUGHT.
DEIB WAS IS HOW DO YOU GET THE PEOPLE FROM RUSSIA WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON IN THIS WORLD
[00:30:01]
OR CHINA WHERE THE STATE SEEMS TO BE AGAINST THE CHINESE? HOW DO YOU GET THOSE PEOPLE TO FEEL WELCOME HERE INTO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, LEARN OUR PROCESSES, LEARN.SOUNDS LIKE WE NEED A COMMISSION FOR THAT.
BUT I'M SAYING IS I THINK YOU GUYS ARE KIND OF, TO ME, YOU GUYS ARE, THAT'S WHAT I ENVISIONED WHEN I VOTED FOR IT IN THE BEGINNING.
AND IT SEEMS LIKE OVER THE PAST YEAR OR SO, THAT'S OVER HERE.
AND WE GOT ALL THESE OTHER GROUPS DOING THINGS.
THEY'RE ALL, THERE'S ALREADY A GROUP OUT THERE.
WE'RE JUST FINDING THE GAP AND INSTEAD OF SAYING, HEY, WE REALLY NEED YOU TO DO IT, WE'RE JUST LIKE, HEY, WE COULD DO IT BETTER.
WHICH IS GREAT 'CAUSE THE GAPS NEED TO BE FILLED.
BUT WHO'S HELPING THE AFGHANISTAN FAMILY CULTURALLY ADAPT HERE TO UNDERSTAND THAT, HEY, AT A CB, HERE'S OUR CUSTOM, HERE'S HOW YOU DO THINGS.
'CAUSE I COULD IMAGINE AND INTEGRATION SUPPORT FOR AFGHAN FAMILIES PRIMARILY COMES FROM GRASSROOTS DIASPORA LED ORGANIZATIONS RATHER THAN TRADITIONAL GOVERNMENT.
THAT'S WHY I DON'T LIKE, YEAH, THAT WAS GOOD, DAN.
GOING LIKE, I WAS MARRIED IN JAMAICA WHEN THEN I'D GO BACK THERE.
IT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CULTURE WHERE IF I HAD TO GO THERE, MAN, I'D STICK OUT RIGHT? LIKE A SORE THUMB FOR MORE REASONS THAN, THAN ONE.
BUT I DON'T, I JUST DON'T KNOW THE CULTURE.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT ALWAYS ENVISIONED DIB WAS ORIGINALLY AGAIN, JUST HOW TO GET US ALL TOGETHER TO REALIZE THAT, HEY, YOU'RE NOT A SUCH AND SUCH.
YOU'RE HIPPO, YOU'RE, YOU'RE ALL HIPPOS.
WHEREAS, BUT DEIB HOLD ON ONE SECOND PLEASE.
I'M, I'M JUST GONNA WRAP UP ANYTHING AND THEN I PROMISE I'LL STOP TALKING FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT.
IT'S ABOUT ACCESS TO THIS, THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM, LOCAL CITY, STATE GOVERNMENT.
IT'S ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS AN OPPORTUNITY.
NOT JUST SOMEONE FROM RUSSIA OR SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN DISPLACED BECAUSE OF A, UH, A, UH, NATIONAL DISASTER OR ANYTHING ELSE, OR SMALL BUSINESS OR VETERANS OR, UH, SENIOR ASSISTANCE, SENIOR CITIZENS.
AND WE WANT TO HELP EVERYBODY, BUT WE HAVE TO BE, UM, BE IN A POSITION TO ACCESS THEM AND FOR THEM TO ACCESS US.
BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE DOING, I THINK AS A CONDUIT, AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING MR. MAYOR, ABOUT, ABOUT THE AMERICAN MEDIA.
I'M A 13 YEAR VETERAN MILITARY LIKE COMBAT VETERAN.
SO I UNDERSTAND THE LEGION IS LEANING ON US FOR INFORMATION AND FOR HELP BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT PREPARED.
THEY'RE NOT IN A POSITION TO HELP OTHER VETERANS.
SURE, THEY HAVE THEIR MEETINGS AND THEIR DUES AND SO ON, BUT THE LEGION'S NOT IN A POSITION TO DO THE, THE RESEARCH TO FIND OUT WHO, AND NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO JOIN THE LEGION, YOU KNOW? SO, BUT I UNDERSTAND THERE IS SOME OVERLAP AND WHAT WE DO AND WHAT SOME OF THESE, UM, COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS DO IN THE CITY.
AND IT CAN SEEM A BIT REDUNDANT, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT BASED ON THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE AND WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM THE CITIZENS FROM THEIR LIPS TO OUR EARS, IS THAT THEY APPRECIATE THE HELP THAT WE'RE DOING AND THE ACCESS THAT WE'RE GIVING THEM, WHICH IS OUR INTENT AND MISSION AND DOING SO IN A, IN A MANNER WHICH IS CONSISTENT AND, AND, AND GETS THE INFORMATION TO THEM.
BECAUSE YOU MAY NOT HAVE THOSE CONSISTENCIES 'CAUSE THAT'S NOT THEIR PRIORITY, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY WITH SENIORS AND ESPECIALLY WITH VETERANS.
SO I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND I RESPECT YOUR, YOUR POSITION.
UH, SO SIMPLE MINDED GUY, RIGHT? I'LL MAKE IT EASY FOR YOU GUYS.
IF, IF WE TOOK OUT THE SENIOR CITIZENS WORKING GROUP, VETERANS WORKING GROUP, SMALL BUSINESS WORK GROUP, WHAT'S THE PRIMARY FOCUS OTHER THAN THAT? FINDING GAPS.
SO LIKE, WE GOT A, I THINK HE'S ON THE, UH, EDC BOARD, UM, GENTLEMAN WHO HAS A SON WHO IS NEURODIVERGENT.
DO YOU REMEMBER WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS? AND SO WE DID RESEARCH AND WE'RE ACTIVELY TRYING TO FIND, UM, PEOPLE WHO CAN HELP EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY ON NEURODIVERGENCE, RIGHT? BECAUSE A LOT OF CITIZENS DON'T UNDERSTAND THE, THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT WE'RE ALREADY DOING HERE IN THE CITY OF CUDO FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM AND WHO ARE NEURODIVERGENT.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE INFORMED, WE'RE JUST A CONDUIT.
WE'RE COPPER WATER, RIGHT? SO WE ARE TRYING TO REACH PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT WANT TO GO TO ANOTHER FACILITY BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT A MEMBER OR THEY'RE NOT COMFORTABLE AND THEY CAN COME TO US AT ANY EVENT AND JUST SAY, HEY, I WAS THINKING ABOUT THIS, DA DA, DA.
NOW WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO FILL EVERY NEED OF EVERYBODY BECAUSE TIME, MONEY, POWER, ALL THOSE THINGS ARE ALL, OR, UH, FACTORS RIGHT TO CONSIDER.
BUT PEOPLE JUST WANT TO HAVE ACCESS AND TO HAVE THEIR VOICES HEARD AND TO KNOW THAT MAYBE EVEN IN THE BACKGROUND SOMEONE'S DOING SOMETHING TO HELP THEM.
[00:35:01]
US, I MEAN I I FEEL LIKE IT'S A BENEFIT, NOT A BURDEN.LEMME SAY SORRY, ON, ON THAT IS THAT NOT WHAT WE'RE ELECTED FOR IS TO HEAR THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE TO CONCERN THE PEOPLE.
'CAUSE IF YOU GUYS ARE HEARING IT, THEN, I MEAN, I DON'T GET EMAILS SAYING, HEY, I HAD A GUY REACH OUT AND, AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S A MAJOR ISSUE OVER HERE.
AND SO IF YOU GUYS ARE HANDLING ALL THAT, I MEAN, HONESTLY THAT WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR.
CAN I READ THE MISSION STATEMENT OF, OF THE DIVERSITY ON OUR WEBSITE? DIVERSITY INCLUSION COMMISSION HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED IN CHARGE OF ASSESSING THE STATE OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN HUDU.
THE COMMISSION'S OBJECTIVE IS TO DISMANTLE STRUCTURAL AND CULTURAL BARRIERS BY MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY OF HU CITY COUNCIL THAT WOULD IMPROVE EQUITY AND EMPOWER UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS.
AND I, TO ME, I I LOOK AT THE DEIB, IT'S LIKE DETERMINING THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.
AND I BROUGHT THIS UP IN THE MEETINGS.
IT'S LIKE Y'ALL ARE KIND OF THE HEART, YOU KNOW, THE TAKING THE PULSE OF THE, OF THE CITY, HOWEVER Y'ALL, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S TOWN HALL, PRESENTATIONS, TRAINING, WHATEVER.
AND THEN, AND TO KIND OF KIND OF SHARE AND, AND, AND DISSEMINATE, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE GROUPS THAT ARE EITHER UNREPRESENTED OR EVEN UNACKNOWLEDGED MM-HMM
AND THEN I, I BRING BELONGING TO THE DIVERSE, I LIKE THAT FIRST, THE DIVERSE AND THEN DIVERSITY AND THEN BELONGING.
AND I, I I I, I THINK THAT IT'S ONE OF THE MOST WELL DOCUMENTED, WELL ORGANIZED GROUPS WITH, UH, JACQUELINE AND KARINA AND NOW POLK AND, AND ALL THE MEMBERS THAT HAVE BEEN ON HERE.
UH, SO I THINK IT'S, IT'S, WELL, STRATEGY WISE, IT LOOKS REAL.
BUT IT MAY BE GETTING TOO EXPENSIVE WHEN WE MAY NEED TO FOCUS DOWN AND LOOK AT THOSE GROUPS.
UH, I KNOW WE, WE DID, UH, WAS OUTSIDE AGENCY FUNDING.
SO ONE OF THEM, THE FIGURE OF MERITS WAS, IS THAT WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THAT MONEY IS HELPING US HERE? AND THEN ARE THERE OTHER ALTERNATE GROUPS? LIKE LET'S SAY THERE'S A, A CLOTHING STORE.
WELL, WE HAVE THIS FREE CLOTHING STORE OVER HERE AND THERE'S THREE OF, BUT WHAT IF IT'S LIKE BABY STROLLERS AND CARVE SEATS? MAYBE THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE THAT'S IN, YOU KNOW, A 25 MILE SQUARE RADIUS AND, AND IT'S ALL GOING OUT.
IT MAY GO A LITTLE BIT TO TAYLOR AND A LITTLE BIT TO PFLUGERVILLE, A LITTLE BIT TO EAST, UH, ROUND ROCK, BUT THEY'RE THE ONLY ONE.
SO EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY ONLY BE DOING 50% OF THAT MONEY, SO I KIND OF LOOK AT THAT AS THAT THIS IS NOW AN INTERNAL, IT'S NOT AN OUTSIDE AGING FUNDING.
THIS IS AN INTERNAL AGENCY FUNDING AND, AND DIRECTION.
BUT AS, AS MAYOR SAID IS THAT WE NEED TO, WE, THE CITY COUNCIL, NEED TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON SO WE CAN HELP YOU.
BECAUSE I THINK SOMETIMES, AND I I I, THIS, IT IS, IT IS NOT A FAULT, BUT IT SOMETIMES CAN GET YOU TO DILUTE.
AND I ACKNOWLEDGE THE TURNOVER AND THE, AND THE, AND THE, AND THE, THE UNDERSTAFFING OF THE BOARD AND COMMISSION BECAUSE OF THAT TURNOVER.
NOT BECAUSE OF POOR WORK BY ANYONE HERE, AND EVEN LIKE IN THE PAST, PRESENT, OR FUTURE.
BUT I THINK THAT MAYBE IF WE CAN FOCUS THIS, I THINK THAT WE'RE GONNA, I THINK WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THAT TONIGHT.
IS THAT WHAT IS, WHAT DOES DEIB MEAN FOR HUDU IS THAT DON'T BELIEVE IT MEANS WHAT DEI MEANS IN THE REST OF THE WORLD.
YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE STAYING AWAY FROM THE POLITICAL STUFF.
AS MAYOR SAID, WE ALL HAVE CHILDREN, WE ALL HAVE EDUCATION.
WE WANNA HAVE A GOOD COST OF LIVING.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE WANT TO BE A PART OF THE COMMUNITY, WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, AT THE, AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER IN THE SWIMMING POOL, OR IT'S AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, OR IT'S AT THE YMCA OR, OR WHATEVER IT IS.
WE WANT TO FEEL LIKE THAT WE'RE COMFORTABLE.
I'M NOT SAYING WE AREN'T, BUT I'M SAYING THAT'S WHAT I, THAT'S WHAT I WANT.
AND I'M REALLY NO DIFFERENT THAN ANYONE ELSE'S, EXCEPT I'VE BEEN WANTING IT FOR LONGER THAN YOU.
BUT, BUT I'M NOT TRYING TO DISPARAGE WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON.
I THINK PULLING THE RESOURCES TOGETHER WITHIN THE DEIB AND THEN BEING, BEING NOT COOPERATIVE.
BUT YOU SAID THE COLLABORATIVE YES.
COLLABORATIVE WITH THESE OTHER SISTER GROUPS SO THAT WE'RE NOT DOING DUPLICATION OR EFFORT AND MAYBE DOUBLING OFF OF HERE AND, AND HAVING A GAP OVER HERE.
BUT I KNOW THAT'S WHAT Y'ALL WANT.
IT'S JUST HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE DO THAT? HOW THAT, IT KIND OF SOUNDS MORE LIKE A, IT REALLY DOES SOUND MORE LIKE A TRYING TO GET THE GROUP.
IT IT, IF I'M BEING VERY HONEST AND YOU TOO DIRECT, UM, IT'S, WE'VE GOTTEN TO A POINT NO FAULT ON YOUR ALL TO ME.
IT'S GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT WE STARTED OFF.
DEI BEING I JUST SAID, AND THE PURPOSE.
IT'S LIKE SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAT I, I DON'T THINK IS NOT NEEDED.
BUT I'M STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE MAKE SURE WE ALL BELONG IN HU BUT WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT EVEN FOCUSED ON THAT BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE ARE THE ONES THAT I'M HELPING TRYING TO FIGURE OUT LIKE, HEY MAN, DON'T, DON'T FORGET ABOUT HOA, THEY'RE NOBODY.
OKAY? IT'S NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL.
NO, IT'S NOT A GOVERNMENT AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S OKAY TO CALL CITY HALL.
YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE THE POLICE SHOW UP ON YOUR DOORSTEP.
I MEAN, THESE ARE CONVERSATIONS WE'RE LITERALLY HAVING WITH PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY CAME HERE FOR A REASON.
SOME OF IT IS A TECH JOB AND SOME OF 'EM, A LOT OF 'EM ASYLUM AND THEY'RE
[00:40:01]
WANTING TO GET THE HELL OUTTA THE COUNTRY THEY'RE IN, BUT THEY'RE NOT COMFORTABLE CALLING AN ELECTED OFFICIAL.I MEAN, YARBOROUGH TALKS GREAT ON TV, BUT THEY ARE NOT ABOUT TO CALL THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, ASK IF FOR ANY HELP, BECAUSE THE WHOLE REASON THEY CAME TO THIS COUNTRY WAS BECAUSE OF THEIR POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT I ALWAYS ENVISIONED WHEN WE DID DEIB WAS, WAS TO FIGURE OUT AGAIN, HOW WE DON'T LOOK AT EACH OTHER HERE AS BEING MAN, WOMAN, BLACK, WHITE, HISPANIC AND ALL THAT.
IT'S JUST, EVERYBODY'S A HIPPO.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T KNOW.
THE HIPPOS KNOW THE DIFFERENCE IN THE HIPPOS.
JUST SOME ARE BIGGER THAN OTHERS,
AND THAT'S WHAT I, I HOPE SO I THINK WE GOTTA, THAT'S WHY I HAVE IT ON THE AGENDA, UH, TONIGHT, IS TO REALLY DISCUSS, LIKE, I COULD BE WRONG.
BUT I DO WANNA FIND A WAY FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIT IN HERE AND FIGURE OUT, LIKE, WHY DO I GOTTA PAY TO SHOP AT COSTCO? I THOUGHT IT WAS FREE HERE.
WHY DOES THAT COST MONEY? WELL, THERE'S A, THERE'S A MEMBERSHIP THING.
YOU GO TO WALMART AND HOW DO WE EXPLAIN THAT TO THEM? BUT ALSO HOW DO WE GET THESE GAPS FILLED? BECAUSE IF THE CHAMBER'S NOT LISTENING, WE'RE PUMPING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS INTO A CHAMBER.
AND SO THE EDC HAS SOME EXTRAORDINARY POWER RIGHT NOW TO TELL THE CHAMBER EVERY GAP, AND THEY NEED TO START PLUGGING YOUR GAPS AT FIX 'EM.
AND WE'VE DONE HUNDREDS, I THINK $800,000 WITH THE AMERICAN LEGION.
IF THERE'S A GAP AND THEY NEED HELP, I THINK WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT THAT IS, AND WE NEED TO HELP EMPOWER THEM TO GET THAT MM-HMM
BECAUSE LONG IN MY ULTIMATE VISION, THE CITY'S NOT GONNA HAVE ALL THESE SOCIAL SERVICES.
WHAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE IS A BUNCH OF VERY STRONG, WELL-HEELED ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE, HAVE BEEN EMPOWERED AND HAVE THE RESOURCES TO THEN GO DO EVERYTHING.
BECAUSE YOU GO TO GEORGETOWN, BUT THEY GOT, THEY GOT AN ORGANIZATION FOR EVERYTHING.
AND THE CITY'S JUST FUNDING A LITTLE BIT, AND THEY'RE OUT BUILT HOMES ON THEIR OWN DOING ALL THIS STUFF.
AND THEN YOU COME TO HU AND EVERYBODY'S KINDA LIKE, HEY, THEY ALWAYS SAY, WE NEED MONEY.
AND IT'S LIKE, HEY, THE CITY SAYS THEY NEED MONEY TO PUT ON EVENTS.
AND THIS COUNCIL, WE'VE TRADITIONALLY, LATELY BEEN LIKE, HEY, LESS MONEY.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE MORE MONEY? AND HOW DO WE EMPOWER YOU? MM-HMM.
AND THEN GRADUALLY GET IT THAT WAY.
BUT, AND I SAYING, JIM, I I THINK YOU GUYS ARE DOING GREAT.
THIS IS NOT A, THIS IS NOT A FAULT OF YOU GUYS.
AND I'M NOT SURE WHY THAT WAS HAPPENING, BUT IT'S A TURNOVER.
AND THEN IT'S A COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, IT STARTS A COUPLE YEARS.
LIKE, YEAH, WE CAN KIND OF GO THAT WAY.
AND YEAH, IT'S OKAY, WE'LL KIND OF GO THAT WAY.
AND THEN ONE DAY YOU WAKE UP AND YOU'RE LIKE, MAN, WE'RE NOT EVEN, I MEAN, THE STATE COULDN'T SHUT THIS DEI DOWN BECAUSE WE
WE'RE NOT DOING DEI WORK, RIGHT? WE'RE, WE'RE DOING ALL THE OTHER IMPORTANT WORK IN THE COMMUNITY THAT'S NEEDED.
AND SO I THINK WE JUST GOTTA FIGURE OUT IF WE REFOCUS OR HOW DO WE KEEP YOUR GUYS' PASSION AND THE COMMUNITY GOING, UM, BUT THEN ALSO MAKE SURE THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE BASICALLY BEING LEFT BEHIND AND IGNORED, HOW DO WE GET THEM TO GO, LIKE, LOOK, IT'S OKAY THAT YOU THINK YOU LOOK DIFFERENT, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU'RE, YOU'RE ONE OF US.
SO NOW THAT YOU'RE ONE OF US AND WE'RE, WE'RE HERE FOR YOU, REGARDLESS OF WHAT, RIGHT, WHERE YOU CAME FROM.
LET ME OFFER SOMETHING REALLY QUICK TO THE MAYOR'S QUESTION.
'CAUSE WHAT YOU'RE, WHAT YOU'RE ASKING IS FAIR, RIGHT? AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE STRUGGLE WITH WHEN WE'RE DOING THIS KIND OF WORK.
BUT YOU JUST KIND OF PROVE THE POINT BY SAYING, ALL THE PEOPLE ARE BEING LEFT BEHIND.
BECAUSE THE REASON THAT ANY GAPS EXISTS, THERE'S POPULATIONS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, IS BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT COMFORTABLE GOING TO ESTABLISH SOME, SOME ESTABLISHED ORGANIZATIONS.
AND THE IMPORTANCE AND THE RELEVANCY OF HAVING THESE WORKING GROUPS IS TO CREATE MORE POCKETS IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE PEOPLE CAN FEEL WELCOMED AND INCLUDED AND CAN STILL RECEIVE SERVICES OR BE TOLD ABOUT.
THE CHAMBER CAN BE TOLD ABOUT WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ACTUALLY COMMITTEE POLICING AND HUDDLE ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE.
'CAUSE IT'S GOT A GREAT, GOT A GREAT PROGRAM WITH THEIR POLICE DEPARTMENT.
SO FOR ALL THE REASONS YOU JUST MENTIONED, IT JUSTIFIES WHY THE WORKING GROUPS ARE IMPORTANT.
AND THEY'RE ASKING FOR VERY, VERY LITTLE ON THE IDEA BEHIND THE WORKING GROUPS THAT THEY'RE CITIZEN RUN AND SELF-SUSTAINED.
UM, THE LITTLE BIT OF BUDGET, I THINK WHAT YOU WERE SAYING IS TO HELP THEM MAKE SURE THAT THEY STAY CONNECTED.
UM, I THINK SOME OF THE THINGS YOU TALKED ABOUT, AND THAT I'M AWARE BECAUSE I'VE BEEN, UM, ATTENDING SOME OF THEIR MEETINGS, BUT THE RESOURCE FAIRS WERE THINGS THAT OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE TO BE DONATED OUT OF CITIZENS' POCKETS.
AND THEY'RE ALREADY DOING THAT TOO.
YOU MENTIONED THAT THEY ARE PUTTING ON THEIR OWN GIFTS, THEIR OWN MEALS, THEIR OWN COFFEES PER MONTH, JUST FROM CITIZENS HELPING EACH OTHER.
SO WITH, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND IT'S EASY TO SAY, WELL, THIS IS COMPETITIVE, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY NOT.
AND OPERATIONALLY IT'S NOT COMPETITIVE AT ALL.
IT'S ACTUALLY ALLOWING MORE PEOPLE TO BE A PART AND BE AWARE OF THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE BECAUSE YOU HAVE MORE, UM, YOU KNOW, INFORMAL FRIENDLY FACE-TO-FACE GROUPS.
AND AS FAR AS THE CHAMBER GOES, IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE NOT LISTENING.
THEY ACTUALLY JUST HAD A MEETING WITH, UM, MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR OF THE HISPANIC CHAMBER, BECAUSE ONE OF THEIR GAPS, IT'S HOW DO WE REACH THESE GROWING HIS, YOU KNOW, PRIMARILY SPANISH SPEAKING HISPANIC COMMUNITIES, UM, IN HURO.
AND SO THAT MEETING WAS FACILITATED A LOT OF TIMES BECAUSE THESE SMALL WORKING GROUPS WERE MEETING TOGETHER, LIKE, UM, SANTA COMING UP, AND THEY JUST RECENTLY HAD
[00:45:01]
THEIR, THEIR RIBBON CUTTING.BUT THOSE KIND OF RELATIONSHIPS, AND THEY JUST JOINED THE CHAMBER HERE.
THEY WERE MEMBERS OF THE TAYLOR CHAMBER AND THEY LIVED HERE.
THOSE KIND OF MEETINGS THAT ARE INFORMAL AND MORE FRIENDLY TO PEOPLE LIKE NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR ARE ACTUALLY REALLY IMPORTANT AND REALLY VALUABLE.
AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WAS BROUGHT HERE BECAUSE OF THE DIV COMMISSIONS INITIATIVE.
AND AGAIN, THEY'RE NEVER MEANT TO BE COMPETITIVE.
THEY'RE MEANT TO BE MORE PLACES WHERE MORE PEOPLE CAN TAKE PART AND ACCESS THE RESOURCES FOR FREE, HELP EACH OTHER, LIKE TELL EACH OTHER, HEY, YOU NEED A LOAN FOR YOUR BUSINESS.
THIS IS HOW I WAS ABLE TO GET IT.
OR, UM, INSTEAD OF HAVING TO FEEL SO ISOLATED AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER OR AS A SENIOR CITIZEN, UM, IT'S ACTUALLY CREATING MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO RECEIVE SERVICES AT NO COST, WHICH HOPEFULLY WILL ALLOW THEM TO GROW.
AND THEN TAKE PART, AN ADVANTAGE OF THINGS LIKE WHAT THE CHAMBER HAS TO OFFER.
OR THE THINGS AND THE SERVICE THAT THE VETERANS, UM, THAT THE AMERICAN LEGION HAS TO OFFER.
UM, AND I KNOW, UM, NIKKI IS THE LIAISON FOR THE VETERANS WORKING BECAUSE SHE'S A VETERAN HERSELF.
AND I KNOW THAT SHE'S BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD AND GETTING THE GROUP TOGETHER.
BUT I GUESS SOMETIMES IT'S LIKE CHASING CATS.
EVERYBODY'S REALLY BUSY, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT HER WORK ISN'T VALUABLE AND SHE ISN'T TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO COME AND FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE THE GAPS THAT WE COULD DO? WHY WOULDN'T SOMEBODY JOIN THE AMERICAN LEGION? BUT JUST BECAUSE THEY MAY NOT JOIN OR MAY NOT HAVE INTEREST OR WHATEVER IT IS, DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY DON'T DESERVE TO KNOW ABOUT RESOURCES OR GET CONNECTED TO LIKE THE DA, FOR EXAMPLE.
UM, SO THAT'S WHERE, TO ME, HAVING SPENT TIME IN THIS GROUP AND DOING THAT DEEP DIVE WORK IS REALLY VALUABLE TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN MORE GROUPS LIKE THAT IN THE COMMUNITY.
NOT TO COMPETE, BUT TO HAVE MORE PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO COME IN MORE ENTRY POINTS.
YOU GUYS DID PULL UP MORE HEARTS, STRINGS A LITTLE BIT.
UM, I'D LIKE TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE NEURODIVERGENT PART.
UH, I HAVE A DAUGHTER THAT'S ON SPECTRUM TOO.
UH, I'VE ACTUALLY SPOKE TO THE GENTLEMAN THAT YOU GUYS TALKED TO ABOUT IT, AND HE AND I HAD A CONVERSATION.
UH, I, I KNOW ABOUT HIS SON AS WELL.
UM, BUT I'D LIKE TO KIND OF HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE FROM YOU GUYS ON WHAT'S THE PLANS FOR THAT.
'CAUSE TO ME THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S LIKE, ALL RIGHT, HEY, THAT'S THE ACTUAL, HEY, LET'S FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THAT PERSON TO IT.
I DON'T WANNA SAY YOUR WORDS FIT IN BECAUSE I TELL MY DAUGHTER ALL THE TIME, LIKE, YOU FIT IN NO MATTER WHAT, RIGHT? YES.
AND IF YOU DON'T FIT IN, FIND A WAY TO MAKE YOURSELF FIT IN.
UM, BUT I'D LIKE TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THE PLANS ARE BEHIND THAT.
I KNOW WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME, BUT YEAH.
UH, SO RIGHT NOW WHAT WE ARE IN IS JUST EVIDENCE GATHERING MODE.
WE'RE TRYING TO LEARN ABOUT THE ISSUE WITH THE IDEA THAT AT SOME POINT IN THE NEXT YEAR, EARLY NEXT YEAR, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO COME UP WITH A EXECUTION PLAN ON WHAT WE INTEND TO DO WITH THAT.
AND OUR PRIMARY GOAL IS TO CREATE AWARENESS AS OF RIGHT NOW, WHAT THAT ALSO MEANS THAT THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT THE CITY'S ALREADY DOING AND, UH, OR THE PARKS, RIGHT? ESPECIALLY FRITZ.
I WENT TO, WELL, FRITZ PARK, I KIND OF WENT TO FRITZ PARK, RIGHT? AND, UH, IT IS, IT, IT IT'S SUPPOSED TO HAVE SENSORY FRIENDLY PLAY AREA FOR KIDS, RIGHT? I DIDN'T SEE THAT ADVERTISED ANYWHERE THAT IT'S SENSORY FRIENDLY.
AND SO THOSE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT WILL BE PART OF THE AWARENESS CAMPAIGN AS WE SHINE SPOTLIGHT ON THINGS THAT THE CITY'S ACTUALLY DOING RIGHT NOW, RIGHT? AND SO RIGHT NOW IS EVIDENCE GATHERING, UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.
EARLY NEXT YEAR WILL GET INTO EXECUTION OF WHAT THE AWARENESS CAMPAIGN LOOKS LIKE.
AND THEN PHASE THREE WOULD BE A POTENTIAL, UH, WORKING GROUP.
AND, UH, WE WILL TRY TO WORK AROUND HOW WE CAN GET CONTINUOUS FEEDBACK, HOW, HOW WE CAN FORM THIS CLOSED LOOP WITH A GROUP THAT IS, UH, YOU KNOW, A, A VERY SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE CITY.
UH, IT'S ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 15% OF THE POPULATION, UH, PEOPLE THAT ARE AFFECTED BY NEURODIVERGENCE, RIGHT? UNDER THE AGE OF 18, UNDER THE AGE OF 18.
SO, UH, AS OF RIGHT NOW, THAT'S THE PLAN.
AS WE GET INTO IT, WE, WE'VE ALREADY HAD, UH, OUR CONSULTANT PRODUCE A DOCUMENT ON NEURODIVERGENCE, AND THAT THAT TELLS US ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE KINDS, JUST, JUST REALLY DEEP DIVE INFORMATION INTO WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.
YEAH, WELL, YOU, YOU DID THAT AND AS WELL AS, UH, A DOCUMENT THAT, UH, STAN USED WE'RE, YEAH, I HAVE A BRIEF THAT WE HAVE IN THE GOOGLE DRIVE AS WELL, AND I'LL GET THAT TO YOU.
I KNOW THAT YOU ARE ALREADY CITY MATTER EXPERT, BUT JUST TO SHOW YOU SOME OF THE PROGRESS THAT WE, THAT WE'VE MADE, BECAUSE WE ARE VERY SERIOUS ABOUT IT.
I ALSO AM NEURO DIVERGENT, SO, YOU KNOW, I, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, BUT THAT'S WHY WE EXIST, IS TO FIND THOSE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY WHO MAY NEED SERVICE, WHO MAY NEED ACCESS, WHO MAY NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE GOING SOMEPLACE BECAUSE THE LIGHT BOTHERS THEM.
AND WE TURNED DOWN THE LIGHTS WHEN WE GOT IN HERE BECAUSE I WAS LIKE, HEY, THAT BE GOOD.
YOU KNOW, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
SENSORY FRIENDLY BUSINESSES, CONNECTING, LIKE,
[00:50:01]
HERE'S ANOTHER IDEA OF OUR CROSSPOLLINATION WITH SMALL BUSINESS FINDING OUT, HEY, DO YOU OFFER A SENSORY FRIENDLY TIMES? LIKE IF YOU'RE A MOVIE THEATER OWNER, A PLACE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM OR NEURODIVERGENT CAN GO AND WATCH A MOVIE IN A THEATER AT A, UH, YOU KNOW, LOWER VOLUME.SO THOSE ARE THE, THAT'S THE TYPE OF INFORMATION GATHERING THAT WE'RE DOING NOW.
AND EVEN TRYING TO WORK WITH ISU WHO HAS EDUCATORS TO COME IN AND SPEAK TO THE COMMUNITY.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A FORMAL MEETING, BUT, YOU KNOW, LET PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY THROUGH OUR, UH, COMMUNICATION CHANNELS KNOW THAT THERE WOULD BE A, YOU KNOW, A PRESENTATION AND THEN THEY CAN COME AND FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE TALKING ABOUT IT.
'CAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T WANNA PUT ALL THEIR BUSINESS IN THE STREETS, AND THEY MIGHT FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE COMING TO SOMEONE WHO IS THEIR NEIGHBOR OR A VOLUNTEER, A NON-OFFICIAL OFFICIAL, YOU KNOW, TO KIND OF BE LIKE, HEY, DO YOU KNOW WHERE, DO YOU KNOW HOW I CAN ACCESS THE MAYOR? YES.
YOU KNOW, RESPONS, YOU KNOW, YOUR OFFICE.
THINGS LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW? SO YEAH, WE'RE JUST, AND, AND WE'RE ALSO, ONE THING THAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE STUDYING THE NEIGHBORING CITIES AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND SEEING, UH, PART OF OUR DATA GATHERING IS WHAT ARE THEY DOING THAT'S WORKING? WHAT ARE THEY DOING THAT'S NOT, AND WE WANNA UNDERSTAND THAT DEEPLY, OR WE COME OUT AND SAY, JUST LIKE A GENERIC SURFACE LEVEL THING, OH YEAH, WE SHOULD DO THIS, WE SHOULD DO THAT.
UM, SO THAT'S PART OF OUR EVIDENCE GATHERING.
'CAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE CONFIDENT IN THE DATA THAT WE ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, GATHERING AND OUR ANALYSIS IS SOUND AND SOLID.
UM, YOU GUYS ARE GONNA HANG AROUND.
I THINK I'D LIKE TO TRY TO GET THE ITEM MOVED UP, UH, IN THE COUNCIL MEETING TO WHERE THEN WE CAN REALLY CAN REALLY CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION THERE.
AND BECAUSE I, AN IDEA'S COMING TO ME, UM, BUT MINUTES OVER NOW, UH, YEAH.
I, I WILL, I, I APPRECIATE THE, THE UPDATES.
WELL, WHAT I'VE DONE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FREQUENCY OF THESE HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST, THE CITY COUNCIL, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF ONCE A YEAR IS ENOUGH.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MAYBE TWICE A YEAR.
I DON'T KNOW HOW THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS FEEL ABOUT THIS, BUT IF THE COMMISSION WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO, UH, POP UP.
I THINK IT'S JUST Y'ALL DECIDE WHEN YOU'RE READY TO DO SOMETHING, BUT SOMEWHAT, MAYBE THREE OR FOUR, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST FIVE OR SIX MONTHS IN BETWEEN.
AND THEN Y'ALL JUST LET US KNOW AND GET IT ON THE AGENDA.
YES, MS. MILLER DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT? ARE YOU TRYING TO YES, PLEASE.
AND SO I ACTUALLY SIGNED UP FOR THIS BECAUSE IT WAS ASKED OF US TO VOLUNTEER TO BE ON THIS GROUP.
SO I GUESS MY QUESTION, HEARING WHAT I'M HEARING TODAY IS IF THERE WERE ALREADY GROUPS OUT THERE IN THAT, WHY WAS THIS EVEN OFFERED TO US TO BECOME A PART OF? SECONDLY, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SENIOR GROUP.
WE'RE NOT JUST ABOUT BINGO, WE'RE NOT JUST ABOUT GAMES.
WE ARE REFERRING PEOPLE TO GET THEIR HOMES REPAIRED.
WE HAVE REFERRED PEOPLE TO USE THE GRANT THAT YOU GUYS HAVE ACTUALLY PROVIDED, UH, TO GET THEIR HOMES REPAIRED.
WE ARE REFERRING SENIORS WHO NEED HELP WITH RENT TO SALVATION ARMY.
WE ARE DOING A LOT FOR SENIORS WHO ARE UNAWARE OR DON'T KNOW WHAT THESE RESOURCES ARE.
SO I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT THING FOR US AND WE HAVE DONE A LOT OF WORK TO GET TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
I'M NOT GONNA BE DISCOURAGED BY WHAT I'M HEARING TODAY BECAUSE I KNOW THAT IT IS IMPORTANT WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE HERE.
AND I JUST HOPE THAT YOU GUYS HEAR THAT AND THAT YOU WILL MOVE FORWARD.
APPRECIATE YOUR VOICE, APPRECIATE YOUR BOTH.
VERY, THE VERY EPITOME OF WHAT SENIOR GROUP IS CURRENTLY DOING IS THE INCLUSION WITH DICK'S ION OF AGE.
THAT'S THE ONLY BARRIER WE HAVE IS THE MONEY INVOLVED.
AND SPREADING THE WORD TO CHURCHES TO LET THEM KNOW THAT, TELL THEIR SENIORS THAT THIS KIND OF PLACE EXISTS WHERE THEY CAN COME PLAY DOMINOES AND FIND OUT ABOUT THEIR NEIGHBORS.
IT'S, IT IS, UH, I GOT TO KNOW THE SENIORS BACK IN, I THINK 2019 WHEN WE WORKED TO FREEZE TAXES AND, UM, STILL IN CONTACT WITH SEVERAL OF THEM.
BYE BY SEVEN 15, UNLESS THE COUNCIL VOTES AGAINST IT, UM, WE OUGHT TO BE RIGHT BACK TALKING ABOUT IT.
BUT, OKAY, WE, DURING THIS AT 6:55 PM THANK Y'ALL FOR COMING.